Restrictions in geographic mobility and travel mean fewer opportunities to encounter diverse people and novel ideas. The more restricted the mobility of a population, the easier it is for the traditions of the local community to be influential.

In rural colonial America travel and social opportunities were restricted to the distance one person could walk or ride a horse round trip in a day

By the 19th century canals and railroads increased the potential range of travel. Consider how far you could travel in 4 days:

1800 -- New York to Boston

1830 -- New York to Pittsburgh

1850 -- New York to Kansas City

In 1840 there were just 3,000 miles of railroad track in the United States. 250,000 more miles were laid in the next 70 years.